Buttita: Ryder Cup showed that essence of golf

Depending on your rooting interest, Sunday's final day of the Ryder Cup was either the Meltdown or the Miracle at Medinah.

But no matter what side of the outcome you fall on, Europe's final-day push to victory reminded us all how volatile and frustrating golf can be.

For two days, the American team was nearly pefect.

Then came Sunday and without any rhyme or reason, many of the players responsible for putting the United States into the lead were rendered ordinary while their European counterparts shed their shirts only to reveal a group of players with a big red "S" on their chests.

"We didn't play well today," captain Davis Love said Sunday night. "We could have laid them out there in about any order today and played like that. It wouldn't have really mattered.

"These guys had a great week, had a lot of fun, and they played well. They played a lot of good golf, and so did the other side. To end up like that is unfortunate. … Ultimately, this team really understands, it's just golf."

In the weeks to come there will be no shortage of opinions about what went wrong and who is to blame.

As captain, Love is a primary target. From his captain's selections of Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker to his unwillingness to shake up his pairings on the fly, Love left himself open as a target.

But while it's always easy to second-guess the guy making the decisions, I doubt there were many golf fans and media calling for his head after the first two days.

Like captains before him, not every choice Love made was the right one. But he got the American team to play with heart and fire, especially in the early rounds.

One of the knocks on prior U.S. teams that it doesn't display the passion the way the Europeans do.

But the Americans painted a contrary picture on Sunday night.

"I've never really felt more on a team in my life," said Keegan Bradley, perhaps the best player on the U.S. team. "I mean, we are all very close, and it was just such an unbelievable week to share with these guys and the captains and one that I'll never forget."

It's far to say that neither Stricker nor Furyk played particularly well, especially Stricker, who, at 45, probably played in his last Ryder Cup.

"I didn't get it done," Stricker said. "Had a couple opportunities. Just let a couple putts slip by, a couple shots here and there. Yeah, pretty disappointing, but still a great experience again."

When Love made his picks, it was clear he was trying to balance some of the youth with veteran leadership.

Semmed like a solid theory, but as it turned out, the rookies played some of the best golf. Love might have gotten more out of choosing two younger players like Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler. But if they had failed, Love would have been knocked for not picking veterans who could handle the pressure.

Phil Mickelson had perhaps his greatest Ryder Cup performance, teaming with Bradley to form the best U.S. team.

Many were stunned that Love pulled Mickelson and Bradley out of Saturday's afternoon matches, but it turned out Mickelson told Love not to play them a fourth match.

"Guys back in the team room and the guys on my radio were calling for Keegan and Phil," Love said. "So I rode out to 10 (during Saturday's morning matches) and popped under the ropes. Phil came running over and started yelling at me, we are putting the most effort into this, we are giving you our all and we are going to win this match and do not play me in the afternoon.

"And I thought that was the funniest thing I had ever heard. He was really adamant that he did not think that they should play in the afternoon; that some of the other guys would have a lot more energy and would play well."

Some might argue that Mickelson's unwillingness to play another match was a perfect example of the Americans' lack of passion.

While it's hard to imagine guys like Ian Poulter or Sergio Garcia asking to sit out, I don't believe Mickelson should be classified as not being a team player.

Mickelson displayed heart and passion from start to finish, and proved to be a positive mentor for the younger and enthusiastic Bradley.

Eight years ago another San Diego resident, Chris Riley, told his captain, Hal Sutton, he did not want to play in another match because he was tired. Riley was highly criticized afterward and his career was never the same.

The other big name on the U.S. team, Tiger Woods, had another poor Ryder Cup. He failed to deliver a point and has still only been part of one winning team.

Woods is a creature of habit, and is more comfortable playing with guys like Stricker who he has known for years. But maybe taking Tiger out of his comfort zone would actually inspire him to new heights.

The bottom line is simple: the European team made more shots when it counted. Unlike other sports, there is no defense in the Ryder Cup for a team that gets hot.

It's the drama of team sports, and it's why the Ryder Cup continues to fascinate us as all.